Our Lemon Cream Pie recipe has been everyones #1 favorite pie for over a decade. It’s made with fresh lemon and sour cream custard and a homemade pie crust.
If you love lemon treats as much as I do, don’t miss our Lemon Bars, Lemon Cake, Homemade Lemonade, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, and Lemon Mousse!
For me, Lemon Sour Cream Pie reigns supreme over all lemon desserts
For me, Lemon Sour Cream Pie reigns supreme over all lemon dessertsI fell in love with this Lemon Cream Pie 15 years ago, when my sister-in-law from Pretty Providence made it, trying to copy a version we love from Croshaw’s pie shop. This pie is an absolute dream, with the perfect balance of sweet and tart and wonderful creaminess in every bite. We do not celebrate Thanksgiving without this one.
If you want the crowd to go wild, you have to make this lemon sour cream pie in our homemade pie crust.
How to make Lemon Cream Pie:
Lemon Filling: Beat eggs slightly with a fork in a small bowl and set aside. Add sugar and cornstarch to a large saucepan and whisk in milk and fresh lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbling. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Temper Eggs: Add a spoonful of the hot pudding mixture into the beaten egg yolks and stir well. Repeat, adding a few more spoonfuls of hot pudding into the egg mixture to temper the eggs (gradually bring them to a warmer temperature, without scrambling the). Pour egg mixture into the saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a gentle boil then cook for two more minutes and remove from heat.
Finish Filling: Stir in softened butter and lemon zest until butter melts completely. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes, then stir in sour cream. Pour filling to a baked pie shell. Place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper gently over the filling and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Whipped Cream Topping: Beat heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer, adding powdered sugar a little at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pie.
More Pie Recipes:
- Banana Cream Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- German Chocolate Pie
- Grasshopper Pie
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Rhubarb Pie
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Recipe
Lemon Sour Cream Pie
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pre-baked pie crust*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
- 3 large egg yolks , lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup butter , softened
- Zest of one lemon , about ½ tablespoon
- 1 cup sour cream
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Lemon Filling: Crack eggs in a small bowl, beat slightly with a fork and set aside. In a large saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk and fresh lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbling.
- Temper Eggs: Reduce heat to medium-low. Add a spoonful of the hot filling into the bowl with beaten egg yolks and stir well. Repeat this process with two or three more spoonfuls of the hot mixture added to the egg yolks, to temper the eggs (warm them up so they don't scramble when added to the pot). Add egg mixture into the saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a gentle boil then cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Finish Filling: Add softened butter and lemon zest and stir until butter melts completely. Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes, then stir in sour cream. Add filling to baked pie shell. place a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper over the pie and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Whipped Cream Topping: In a mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer. While beating, gradually add sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over cooled pie filling.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated March 2018 and August 2024.
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If you love rich buttery lemon curd, this is not the recipe for you. If you love a big mouthful of lemon flavored sour cream, you’ll love this. There was no depth of flavor here; it is exactly what the recipe title states….lemon sour cream.
You are right that this wont yield a lemon curd pie filling–that is something else entirely :-). This is a lemon sour cream pie filling.
Is it possible to Bain-Marie this? 🙂
We haven’t tested it with that method. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
DELICIOUS. Couple changes I chose to do, after reading some reviews. Feared the filling to be a little “too loose” (per reviews, my own cream pie making experience), I decided to take a risk and increase the cornstarch to a level 1/4 C (4 T., only 1 1/2 tsp more than recipe calls for) to help increase filling stability. IT WORKED BEAUTIFULLY! Just to add a note to some reviewers, that had loose-filling issues: YES, it does take a few minutes of cooking the bubbly mixture for the cornstarch to fully bloom, to be able to set properly, so take heed to that advice! You will see it getting thicker and thicker as you watch, over a few minutes of that patient step. Also, I felt (to my tastes, only) that a full 1 cup of sour cream was a bit much to allow the lemon to really shine through (as opposed to too much “sour-creamy” flavor) , but also felt it might help filling to set better without quite so much, so I cut that down to 1/2 cup, although 3/4 cup would also work well. I really love how the sour cream makes this more of a cream pie, not just another tart, lemony lemon-meringue type pie, IT WORKED PERFECTLY!!! This pie has now been added to my “star-must-haves” on my Thanksgiving dessert list! THANK YOU, LAUREN!! OUTSTANDING!!!!
This filling was soooooo soft. Did everything to a tee, not sure what happened. It tastes pretty good, and the crust was nice but the filling was a miss. As a seasoned baker I’m left disappointed and glad I decided to try the recipe BEFORE thanksgiving because it was like a pudding consistency. My only guess is that it needs more eggs 3 doesn’t seem like enough for the amount of filling
Hi there! Sorry to hear the filling didn’t set as you expected. The consistency should definitely be more firm than pudding, so I understand your disappointment. One possible issue could be that the filling didn’t cook long enough to fully thicken. Cornstarch can sometimes take a little extra time to activate. You could also try adding a touch more cornstarch for a firmer texture if you try it again. But I’m so glad you tested it before Thanksgiving! Let me know if you give it another go!
-Stacy
I made this for our Easter dinner desert and it was AMAZING. and surprisingly easy. I will absolutely be making it again.